Hurricane Preparedness - Recovery Relief Assistance

Emergency Personnel: County and city employees will be focused
on search and rescue and damage assessments.
They cannot provide food, water, gasoline or
financial assistance during this time period.
Expect little, if any, support from the state
and federal government and utilities agencies during the first three days as they mobilize
their resources.

After the initial 72 hours, state and federal
agencies will begin providing food, water and
ice to areas that can be reached. City and
county crews will begin clearing streets of
debris so that emergency vehicles, work crews
and civilian vehicles can get through.

When
the area is stabilized, long-term recovery
begins with business restoration, building
repairs and interim long-term housing for those
who lost homes.

In the months that follow, state and federal
governments will set up sites to take insurance
and financial aid claims such as long-term
housing, and loans for reconstruction and small
business.

File Insurance Claims:

You may need to access the coverage of both your homeowners and automobile policies
to put things back together. Be sure to:

Immediately report property damage to your insurance
agent. Your agent should provide
you with claim forms and arrange for an insurance
adjuster to visit your property and assess
the damage.

Make emergency or temporary repairs and document
them. Keep all receipts and take photographs
of the damages, before and after an emergency
repair, to submit your claim.

Check with your local building or permitting
office to determine if repairs require a permit.

Know Your Rights:

Criminals may prey on your
vulnerability after a storm. Know your rights
as a consumer and don't let your eagerness
to make repairs leave you a victim.

Be cautious of anyone coming to your home
uninvited and offering to do home repairs.

Be alert to individuals canvassing your neighborhood
in an unmarked van or truck.

Insist on a written estimate and get estimates
from several companies.

Be sure the contract or business card has
an address, telephone number and license numbers.

Ask for references and check them out.

Insist on start and completion dates in the
contract.

Do not pay the final balance for work performed
until it is completed to your satisfaction.

Contact the Pinellas County Department
of Justice and Consumer Services for more information
at (727) 464-6200.

Assistance from Disaster Relief Agencies:

The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may establish
Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the county.
These centers are kept open and running as long
as necessary to serve the public. Depending on
the storm's severity, assistance may include:

Temporary housing

Low interest small business loans

Unemployment assistance

Individual and family grants

Crisis counseling

Links to the primary disaster assistance sites
nationwide and in Florida:

Business owners can apply for low-interest
loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) to cover losses not fully compensated
by insurance. To apply for Small Business Administration
loans, call the SBA Helpline at 1-800-359-2227
or go to www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/hurricane.html.

Other Relief Resources:

For assistance with relocation or the aftermath
of storm damage, contact the American Red Cross
Tampa Bay Chapter at (813) 348-4820 or go to www.redcrosstbc.org for
information.

To give or receive help or for information
on assistance not covered by the American Red
Cross, call 2-1-1/Tampa Bay Cares by dialing
the three digits from any phone. For information
on the Internet, go to www.211tampabay.org/